WASHINGTON (AP) – Republican lawmakers are under increasing pressure to persuade vaccine skeptics to roll up their sleeves and take the shots as a new, more contagious COVID-19 variant sends caseloads soaring. But it may be too late to change the minds of many who are refusing. After months of ignoring – and, in some cases, stoking – misinformation about the virus, more Republicans have been imploring their constituents to lay lingering doubts aside. The outreach comes as COVID-19 cases have nearly tripled in the U.S. over the last two weeks, driven by the explosion of the new delta variant, especially in pockets of the country where vaccination rates are low.